Eric Burdon, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member and frontman for the British-invasion band The Animals, plays Thursday night at the Michigan Theater. Known for his powerful blues-rock voice, he was responsible for many memorable hits in the late 1960s and early 1970s, first with The Animals and then with the funk band War.

Burdon’s show is part of the theater’s Legends of Rock and Roll series.

Among his songs are “House of the Rising Sun,” “San Franciscan Nights,” “Sky Pilot,” ”It’s My Life,” “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” and the Vietnam-era anthem “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place.” With War, he hit the charts with “Spill the Wine,” “Low Rider,” Cisco Kid” and “Why Can’t We Be Friends?”

Burdon, now 72, was hailed by Rolling Stone as one of the 100 Greatest Voices of All Time (number 57), and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall in 1994.

Ann Arbor’s Bruce Conforth, a member of the faculty at the University of Michigan Department of American Culture, the founding curator of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, and a blues musician himself, said Burdon definitely fills the criteria for being a rock legend.

“When you think about all the things he’s done, not just with The Animals but with War and all the incarnations of War and all the incarnations of The Animals and playing with people like Hendrix … If anybody is a legend in rock and roll, I think Eric is clearly one,” Conforth said. “I don’t think he gets a lot of the credit he deserves. I would easily put him in the ranks of a Mick Jagger or people like that. When you talk about the pantheon of legends in rock and roll you have to include Eric Burdon.”

Conforth, who was on hand when Burdon was inaugurated into the rock hall, said he also admires the musician for being candid about where his influences – and even tunes like “House of the Rising Sun” – originated.

“Eric always wants to give credit to where the music came from, (bluesmen) Willie Dixon, Robert Johnson or whoever,” Conforth observed. “Eric and The Animals were always about celebrating where the music came from and giving credit where credit was due. They never even remotely thought about turning their backs on the real founders of the music.”

Burdon has continued to record and tour with the current Animals lineup as well as a solo artist, and he’s enjoying newfound popularity now thanks in part to Bruce Springsteen.

At the 2012 South by Southwest annual music conference, Springsteen talked about the influence Burdon and The Animals had on his work. He said he identified with the working class rage in identity-seeking songs like "It's My Life," but it was also, he added, because he found it inspirational that The Animals weren't good looking, "and I was feeling pretty hideous at the time."

Burdon the joined Springsteen on-stage for a house-rocking "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place," and he was soon back in demand. He recorded an EP with the Ohio-based garage rockers the Greenhornes, and then devoted himself to the full-length “Til Your River Runs Dry,” which made many “Best of 2013” lists, including that of the Ann Arbor-based AllMusic.com.

Burdon talked about some early influences in an interview in 2013 on PBS.

“I grew up listening to people like (jazz musician) Rahsaan Roland Kirk who, when he walked on stage, there was no plot, there was no plan and you never know which way the guy was gonna go. That was his genius and that stayed with me,” Burdon said.

“I met Jimmy Witherspoon and Joe Turner and all those guys that used to tell me never sing the same song twice. Always put a different thumbprint on the performance. …

“So I’ve sung that song, ‘The House of the Rising Sun,’ so many times that I can make it into like a mini play. I can veer off and launch into New Orleans songs that I grew up with and then come back. As long as you start out at a point and you come at the same point in between as an artist anyway, you should be able to do what you want to do.”

A review in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune after a recent show offered a hint at what the Ann Arbor audience can expect.

“What a charming gent with a good band, a great growl and enough enduring hits to keep a crowd happy for 80 minutes,” the piece said. “Burdon delivered most of the hits from ’60s like they still mattered. He was dramatic, occasionally playful and consistently enthusiastic. Plus, he played a mean cowbell.”

Eric Burdon and The Animals play Thursday, March 13 at 8 p.m. at the Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St. Reserved seats are on sale now at ticketmaster.com and all Ticketmaster outlets. Charge by phone at 800-745-3000. Ticket prices are $39.50, $49.50 and $59.50.